Improvement in hammers



UNITED STATES REINHOLD BOEKLEN, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN HAMMERS.

To all twhom it may concern Be it known that I, REiNiioLD BOEKLEN, of the city of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Hammers; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description ot' the same, ret'erence being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specication.

My invention consists in so magnetizing or applying magnetism in connection with a hammer that it shall be capable of picking up tacks or nails, and enabling them, when so picked up, to be knocked into wood or other materials without the necessity of handling them, thereby aliordin g great convenience for the application of tacks or nails in laying down carpets, or in upholstery, joinery, or other kinds of work.

Figure l in the accompanying drawings is a side View of a magnetic hammer, showing the manner in which it holds the tacks for driving them. Fig. 2 is a side view of a portion ofthe same, showing the manner ot' picking up a tack. Figs. 3 and 4 are sectional views of the portion of the hammer shown in Fig. 2, illustrating the application of my invention. Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the whole head of the hammer.

Similar letters of lreference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

The simplest manner of applying my invention is to make the head of the hammer of steel and to render it magnetic by rubbing it with a loadstone or with another magnet, in the way commonly adopted for making permanent magnets of steel or iron, taking care that the polarity shall bein the face and opposite end, and in this case the whole of the head, with the exception of the face a and the opposite end, b, should be coated with tin, or with shellae-varnish, or with some other material that is a poor conductor ot' magnetism, to prevent the tacks or nails, when picked up, turning up against the sides, in the manner shown at c c in Fig. 4, and cause them to adhere to the extremity, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

d in Figs. 3 and 5 represents the coating of poorly-conducting material.

In using the hammer a number of tacks or nails are scattered upon the loor or upon a bench or Work-table or other lat surface, and the operator, holding the hammer in his hand, places its face a., or opposite end, b, upon the j' in Figs. 1 and 3. The tack or nail thus picked up is tapped lightly by the hammer upon the place where it is to be driven to enter its point and start it in an upright position, and on the hammer being raised, preparatory to the blow which is to drive the tack or nail home or farther in, the tack or nail is left by it standing up, ready to receive a bloW from the face a of the hammer. I prefer to piek up the tacks or nails with the end b of the hammer, as, owing to the smaller surface, it will hold them more securely and steadily.

I propose generally to make the end or point b ot' the hammer concave, as shown in Fig. 3, as by making it of that form the nails or tacks will be more likely to be taken upon the center of the pole ot' the magnet, and thus be held steadier. In hammers for brads or nails with small heads the concavity may with advantage be made greater than is repre sented in the drawings.

Instead of maguetizing the hammer itself", a cavity may be provided on the end b for the reception of a magnet, which may be insulated from the head by surrounding the whole ot' it but its polar extremity with poorly-conducting material.

One advantage derived from magnetizing or applying magnetism in connection with a hammer consists in the facility it ail'ords in upA holstery and other work for placing small tacks or nails in recesses, where it would he difficult to place them with the ngers.

NVhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. So magnetizing or applying magnetism,in connection with a hammer, that it may be capable ot' picking up tacks or nails and inserting them in wood or other material, substantially as herein described.

2. Coating the Whole head of the hammer so magnetized or rendered magnetic, with the exception of the face and opposite end, with poorly-conducting material, substantially as and for the purpose herein specified.

R. BOEKLEN. 

